1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pedicure basin, specifically a pedicure basin with overflow protection.
2. Description of the Related Art
Professional salons today allow customers to receive numerous services, such as facials, manicures, and pedicures. To facilitate these services, spa chairs are often used to allow clients to sit and relax while they receive facials, manicures, and pedicures. Such spa chairs often include a pedicure basin at the foot of the chair to facilitate pedicure services and foot massages. The pedicure basin generally includes warm water for cleaning, comfort and to complement the massaging affect.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,979 issued May 31, 2011 to the present Applicant, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 1 in that patent is reproduced herein and is a diagram showing a prior art spa chair with a pedicure basin for the client's feet to soak in. This conventional pedicure basin has a drain at the bottom for draining the water present in the pedicure basin. However, although the water is drained out of the pedicure basin, residual is ultimate left behind, including possible bacteria, germs and other contaminates from the client's feet. If not thoroughly washed and sanitized, the next client to use the pedicure basin is exposed to the left behind bacteria and germs from the previous client. This poses a serious sanitation issue.
The potential of spreading germs among clients through various tools and equipment, including the pedicure basin, is well known within the manicure and pedicure industries. As such, it is common practice in the industry to apply a liner over the pedicure basin, which may be easily replaced for the next client. The liner is typically either a plastic bag type (like a trash bag) or a harder plastic that has been molded to fit like a shell in the pedicure basin. Utilizing a liner around the pedicure basin is cost effective and efficient, compared to the alternative of having to thoroughly clean and sanitize the pedicure basin after each use. With a liner applied over the pedicure basin, the drain is blocked. As such, a water-filled pedicure basin with a liner will commonly require that the plastic be punctured to drain the water into the drain hole of the pedicure basin. Alternatively, and less common, the water may be drained by pouring the water out over a sink. Thereafter, the used liner will be replaced, and the pedicure basin will be filled with new water for the next client.
The blockage of the drain by the liner poses another challenge. The drain is convenient for not only draining the water completely from pedicure basin, but also for partially draining the water from the pedicure basin. This may be convenient in the scenario where one client may want to adjust the temperature of the water in the pedicure basin. One easy means of doing this is by draining some of the water through the drain and adding additional warm water or cool water to adjust the water temperature within the pedicure basin. If some of the water is not drained, there is the possibility of overflowing the pedicure basin through the addition of the desired warm or cool water. Of course, with a liner, the drain is blocked, and thus the pedicure basin cannot be easily drained.